Puneet Chhatwal is a global hospitality industry personality who has been the CEO of Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), which oversees the Taj Palace and other Taj hotels, since 2017. Here is a synopsis of his path to becoming CEO of IHCL.
Puneet Chhatwal was born in India and completed his education there. His mother, a retired principal, speaks with a strong tone.
Mr. Chhatwal holds degrees from both Delhi University and the Institute of Hotel Management in Delhi. He holds an MBA in Hospitality from ESSEC in Paris as well as an Advanced Management Program from INSEAD.
Puneet Chhatwal previously held the positions of Chief Development Officer and Executive Vice President at Radisson Hospitality AB, Chief Executive Officer of Steigenberger Hotels AG, Director-Development at Radisson Hospitality, Inc., and Chief Development Officer at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.
He was the Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Hospitality from 2013 until 2017. Chhatwal began his career with the India Tourism Development Corporation after earning a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Delhi and a certification in Food Service and Hotel Management.
In his spare time, Chhatwal enjoys listening to music, playing tennis, visiting the spa, and cooking.
On November 6, 2017, Mr. Puneet Chhatwal was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL). He is a worldwide expert with nearly four decades of experience leading highly regarded hotel groups in Europe and North America.
Under his direction, IHCL has embarked on a journey of re-imagination in order to achieve long-term profitable growth. Mr. Chhatwal also serves as the industry’s main advocate in India as Chairman of the National Committee of Tourism and Hospitality, CII, and President of the Hotel Association of India.
Chatwal claims he has had a good life thus far, with the exception of his marriage, which lasted only 22 years.
In 2014, he divorced his wife, a former Air India flight attendant.
Mr. Chhatwal has garnered multiple prestigious industry honours over his worldwide hospitality leadership career, and he was also the first alumnus to be inducted into the ESSEC-IMHI Hall of Honor in 2014.
His other goals include refining the group’s economics, deciding where to spend and where to cease spending, and deciding whether to build or buy.
Puneet says – “You cannot be the Indian Hotels Company and confuse it with Taj’s brand ego and call it Taj Vivanta and Taj Gateway,” Puneet argues. “Each brand must be able to stand on its own.”
Some of the traditional practices will go. “The arati and thali and tikka are archaic,” he says. “Guests these days enjoy the splash of water from an elephant more than sitting on an elephant.” He cites other examples. All Indian hotels still have blue tiles in their swimming pools. The W in Doha has black tiles, while the Missoni in Kuwait has colourful tiles. Similarly, the beige staff uniforms of his hotels feel outdated. “The ladies are all in beige. You look beige, you are dressed in beige. It pulls you down. We need a modern twist on tradition,” he says, before complimenting The Oberoi Group on their colourful uniforms.
Mr. Chhatwal has received numerous honors, including the renowned Carlson Fellowship, and was named one of Europe’s 20 remarkable brains in Sales, Marketing, and Technology at the 2014 HSMAI European Awards. He was also the first ESSEC-IMHI Hall of Honor Alumni in 2014.
Puneet Chhatwal is a German businessman who has led eight different enterprises. He is currently the Chairman of Oriental Hotels Ltd., the Co-Chairman of Piem Hotels Ltd., the Chairman of Taj Sats Air Catering Ltd., the Chairman of Roots Corp. Ltd., and the Chief Executive Officer, MD, and Executive Director of Indian Hotels Co. Ltd., the Chairman of Elel Hotels & Investments Ltd., and the Chairman of Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces. (both are subsidiaries of Indian Hotels Co. Ltd.). Mr. Chhatwal also serves on the boards of five other corporations.
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